Former NHLer Malcom Davis wrote a poignant editorial published at The National Post, where he claims the league didn’t care about his concussion problems.
Davis played 100 games with the Detroit Red Wings and Buffalo Sabres spread over six seasons between 1978-1986. He also spent most of his career on different minor league teams. He says concussions weren’t seen as serious injuries.
My story is not rare. Expendable players like myself would get called up to play a few games in the NHL, only to suffer a hit to the head and be replaced. We never saw a doctor for these injuries, and I rarely knew someone to be formally diagnosed with a concussion. I certainly wasn’t. During our playing days, the League would lay out the red carpet if a player broke his finger or hurt a muscle in his leg. The treatment for a head injury? Smelling salts and the advice to “keep your head up.” After a few years of this cycle, I retired from the NHL because I simply could not absorb any more of these head-rattling hits.
That’s a damning quote, but a totally believable one. The NHL of old was filled with unpunished hits to the head, which is crazy to think about now. The league simply didn’t rationalize the severity of multiple hits to the head, which made it very dangerous for players who would be undiagnosed and thrown into the fire.
Mal Davis: "The #NHL didn't care about my health" http://t.co/0nquXPq4AY #concussions
— Kavitha A. Davidson (@kavithadavidson) May 15, 2015
Davis says he struggles with basic everyday skills, and that concussions have deeply effected his relationships with family and friends.
Today I suffer the long-term effects of those injuries in the NHL, and I now know that I suffered several serious concussions and dozens of sub-concussive hits. My right arm goes numb if I sit still for too long, in addition to other neck and nerve problems. I experience anxiety attacks, dizzy spells and insomnia. For a long time after I retired, I would get nervous and jumpy in crowds. I can’t read for more than 10 minutes without getting a headache, and mood swings and impulsivity have affected my relationships with family members. I have worked hard to adapt and to manage symptoms on my own, but it is a daily struggle to concentrate and live a normal life.
I can’t imagine living a life where you can’t control your actions because your brain has sustained so many blows to the head. It shouldn’t be a struggle for him to live his life, and the sad reality is, it is.
Davis has justifiably joined the concussion litigation by former players. He’s bang on by saying the league should have better protected it’s players health. He says the lawsuit is not about punishing the league, rather set a precedent for former players struggling with everyday life.
Despite the League’s failures, this lawsuit is not about punishing them. Rather, the NHL needs to step up and provide security and care to the former players who built the League into what it is today. The League treated many of us poorly in our playing days, and we now struggle to deal with serious neurological injuries that stem from our professional careers. After decades of callousness, it’s time the NHL give retired hockey players the fair shake they deserve.
I strongly suggest you read the full piece. It’s very sad, but it’s a story that’s worth telling. Playing a sport shouldn’t sacrifice your future, and if it has, players like Davis should definitely be compensated and apologized to.